The Problem of Obesity - Essay Example

Running Head: Obesity Obesity [Institute’s Obesity Obesity is a when the quantity of the calories exceeds the quantity of the expended energy, and the body stores this abundance in the form of fat cells. Mainly, the major reasons of the obesity are cultural influence in the food industry and in the physical activity. The numerous researches that have been made upon this issue demonstrate us, that sweet fuzz drinks, fruit juices and fast food – are probably the ones to blame for the obesity among young generation. Aggressive TV ads and media advertising persuade youngsters in consuming these unhealthy goods and to our regret the educational and cultural systems do not provide alternate substitution for it. We are living in a time, when our job and leisure are less connected with physical activity, as we use cars, watch TV, play computer and video games or work in front of our laptops, changing our sit places one by one. Statistical investigations of the insurance companies indisputably give evidence of rising death rate because of extra weight and abnormal obesity. Moreover, we unconsciously connect corpulence with the gluttony, thinness with beauty and fashion, thus the obesity inflicts psychological state of the personality, and mainly the victims of this psychological trauma are women and grown-ups (Insel et al., 2009). The research, made by G. Myers and his colleagues in Harvard University, displayed, those girls, who suffer from obesity, have common psychological peculiarities with the minorities that are liable to discrimination. These fears are fortified by the real display of the antipathy towards these people. Various vogue magazines, propaganda in newspapers of different diets and doubtful pills that help to lose extra weight, obtrusive media advertisings only increase the psychological danger that affects people with corpulence (Myers, 2004). There are several risk factors and obesity mechanisms, metabolism regulations, and behavior in the brain. The hunger and satiation sensors that are situated in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland fail to give correct data of the fat storage and hunger. The key fragments in this process are – the glucose that is sugar, the insulin, the hormone, that delivers glucose to the cells and the leptin that is the ferment that gives signals to the brain, that the fat storage is full (Storey, 2004). This ferment attracts many scientific minds, as it has many functions, and the possibility to regulate the leptin can solve the pancreatic diabetes. The fat cells release this hormone, and as the fat accumulates in the cells, its concentration grows. Leptin can also influence the resistance of the organism to the insulin impact that is responsible for the metabolism of the sugar in the blood. Nevertheless, the mechanism of the leptin function are not studied properly yet, and how exactly does leptin collaborate in the obesity (Storey, 2004). However, not only fuzz drinks and fast food causes obesity, the genetic factors plays its major role in the 70 % of the cases. A great variety of the genetic variations may cause the obesity. Hereditary factors can influence the way of the adipose tissue distribution in the body, the speed of metabolism, energetic reactions on the food surfeit, taste etc. Genetic factors, in some cases, are straightly responsible for the heavy obesity. These factors affect the ability to lose weight and the domination of the obesity in the past 20 years has dramatically increased. The human metabolism in the process of evolution has developed thereby, that it can preserve energy and store fat in the hunger period. It is well known, that obesity affects people with normal physiology, who live in the industrial countries with the abundance of the food and the low energetic activity is not a problem to blame (Gilbert, 1989). Obesity is the redundant fat in the organism and theoretically, this surplus can be easily measured, however, it turns out that it was not so easy to do so. The tables of the correlation proportions of the weight and the height, for the indirect measurement, in the United States were used. These tables comprised the average weight data of the majority of people with different age and height. However, the reliability of these tables was doubtful and they were modified in the 1942-1943 (Cole, 1954). The age scale was excluded and three extremes of the build types were added by W.H. Sheldon, they are ectomorph, endomorph, or mesomorph. “Mesomorph corresponds to a wedge shaped body, muscled arms and legs, narrow from front to back rather than side to side and has a minimum amount of fat. Ectomorph corresponds to a high forehead, narrow shoulders and hips, a narrow chest and abdomen, little muscle and fat. Endomorph corresponds to a pear shaped body, wide hips and shoulders, wider front to back rather than side to side and has a lot of fat on the body, upper arms and thighs” (Taylor, 2001). The obesity process among the people aged 30, more is a common fact, and the age scale was excluded from the body build table. However, the modified tables still do not give the exact result in measurement extra weight. There are several ways to measure the amount of fat of a human. The weighing can be done under water to measure the solidity of the body, as the adipose tissue is a lighter than flesh and soft tissues, and the bones, thus the result helps to determine the approximate weight, that corresponds to the person. With the help of micrometer, the skinfold thickness is measured, and as it is well known, that 50% of the fat is saved under the skin. The measurement of only one triceps muscle of an arm helps to define the total amount of fat in the body (Garrow et al, 2000). The best way to diagnose the obesity is the medical examination of the naked body weight and form estimation, as well as the estimation of the amount of the hypodermic fat, which is easily made by slight tweak of the skinfold. If it the results are far from being satisfying the detailed examination of the anamnesis should be done. To find the best weight proportions for the patient is probably to ask his approximate weight that was at the end of the growth stage, except for the rare cases, when a person changes his or her way of life to the active one, and the muscle bulk increases. However, if the patient suffered the excess weight before the age of 25, than the determination of the desirable weight is a complex task and can be done only with the help of a qualified expert. The estimation of the obesity popularity among the population also depends on the criteria usage. In 1950 – 1952, the Department of Health in the USA were making research of the corpulence among the adult population using only the body build tables, and the percentage of the people was fluctuating between 9% and 40%. However, the number of examined people was not big enough, except for the Atlanta city, where 140 000 persons were examined, and Richmond, where about 36 000 persons were examined, and among them only 12% had the excess weight. However, concerning the data of the unofficial statistics, the popularity of the extra weight among men has increased since the past century (Schemmel, 1980). The obesity by its aetiology is classified into various types, such as genetic, i.e. the inherited cause; traumatic, i.e. the brain damage or hypothalamus damage; endocrine diseases and psychological trauma. In addition, there are also exogenous cases, because of motionless way of life or the excess of fat calories in the food. Unfortunately, the modern knowledge of the appetite regulation does not give us the detailed picture, how various types of obesity develops in the human species; however, it is evident, that the regulatory system is very complex (Bray et al., 2008). In 1912, W. Cannon suggested, that food deprivation causes rhythmic rate of the stomach and these contractions cause unpleasant feelings of hunger. At the same G. Rossi discovered, that hypothalamus damage causes increasing appetite and leads to gluttony. Later on, G. Myers discovered that some areas of the brain, that are called saturation centers, control hunger contractions of the stomach, as well as slow down activity of the lateral centers (Myers, 2004). Unfortunately, we are living in the society, when the obesity is considered a personal problem of the patient. It is probably one of the major diseases that are mainly self-treated. Practically, any periodical publication has its column for the 10 or more advises how to lose extra weight without any medical recommendations. The majority of people try to follow different diets and take doubtful pills to lose weight and it leads to the immunity weakening and unpredictable results that usually have nothing to do with a weight loose. We must understand that the obesity is a complex disease that should be treated with the help of highly qualified specialists and the correct course of the treatment is sometimes very individual. Special diets and sometimes, surgical operation are the only way to solve the obesity problems. References Bray, A. George, Bouchard, C. (2008). Handbook of obesity: clinical applications. Informa Health Care. Cole, L. (1954). Psychology of adolescence. Rinehart. Garrow, J.S., Ralph, A., Philip, W., James, T. (2000). Human nutrition and dietetics. Elsevier Health Sciences. Gilbert, S. (1989). The psychology of dieting. Routledge. Insel, P., Turner, R. Elaine, Ross, D. (2009). Discovering Nutrition. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Myers, G. (2004). Exploring Psychology. Worth Publishers. Schemmel, R. (1980). Nutrition, physiology, and obesity. CRC Press. Storey, B. Kenneth. (2004). Functional metabolism: regulation and adaptation. Wiley-IEEE. Taylor, John. (2001). The World of Sport Examined. Nelson Thornes. Read More